Advocating for people incarcerated in civil commtiment
Community-based, participatory action research and archive on civil commitment in Illinois
The Civil Commitment Working Group is working on a community-based, participatory action research project surveying the conditions at civil commitment facilities in Illinois. We are a survivor-led group seeking ways to end sexual assault and harm through transformative justice and abolition. We seek to educate our incarcerated members, outside allies, and the general public about civil commitment, advocate for people detained at this facility through direct service, and mobilize communities to take action to end civil commitment alongside all other forms of incarceration.
Key Findings and Recommendations Report
Starting in 2013, volunteers in the Black and Pink Chicago chapter built penpal relationships with people at the Rushville Treatment and Detention Facility and became alarmed by the stories we were hearing: people inside were telling us that residents were dying at abnormally high rates and being denied proper medical treatment. We formed the Civil Commitment Working Group and wrote up a 50-question survey sent to 576 people at Rushville.
204 people returned this survey to us. After receiving the surveys, we started a research accountability process with Black and Pink Chicago members inside Rushville that entailed questionnaires, phone interviews, and consent forms. We wanted to know if the results of this survey matched their experiences while creating personal connections with people inside.
This report draws together our key findings and recommendations for civil commitment in Illinois, informed by our accountability partners inside Rushville.
The Illinois Civil Commitment Archive
In addition to surveys, we also received roughly 200 pages of documents detailing the experiences of people detained at Rushville. With help from graduate students from the University of Washington Information School, the University of Chicago, and the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law, we have created a digital archive of materials. These documents include written testimonies, institutional documents, clipped news articles, resident-published newsletters, and even poetry.
“Abolition is both a practical organizing tool and a long-term goal.”
— Critical Resistance